Southeast Asia Boasts the Fastest Growing Esports Audience

Southeast Asia will have 9.5 million Esports Enthusiasts in 2016, and this number will double by 2019 according to Newzoo’s latest quarterly update of its Global Esports Market Report. The total esports audience in the region, also taking into account Occasional Viewers, will reach 19.9 million this year and exceed 40 million in 2019. These numbers are the result of an extensive study performed in emerging regions, including primary consumer research in the major counties of Southeast Asia, live event attendance analysis, and validation by local partners. Through our detailed analysis of the Rest of Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia regions, we have solidified our expertise on the difficult-to-grasp Asian esports market.

SOUTHEAST ASIA IS THE FASTEST GROWING REGION

The number of Southeast Asian Esports Enthusiasts will grow with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of +36.1% between 2015 and 2019, reaching 19.8 million. This is the fastest growth in that period globally. In comparison, the number of Latin American Esports Enthusiasts will grow with a CAGR of +24.7% between 2015 and 2019, while the global average is +19.1% for the same period. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, also known as the Big 6, account for more than 98% of Esports Enthusiasts in the region.

This year has been a tremendous year for Southeast Asia in terms of big live events. The ESL One Manila and the Manila Major Dota 2 tournaments were the highlights of 2016, while ESL One Genting is coming up in January. Furthermore, a partnership between Smilegate and ESL saw the formation of the CrossFire Stars Invitational: Manila, a world championship CrossFire event.

THE RESURGENCE OF OVERWATCH

The launch of Overwatch this year was a huge success for Blizzard. The game quickly accumulated millions of players worldwide and was one of the top games watched on Twitch at launch. As seen in the graph below, the game has experienced a slight decrease in performance on PC, both in players and hours viewed on Twitch, which can be expected following the launch. While Overwatch won New Esports Title of the Year at the Esports Industry Awards, the game is still in the process of developing its esports scene. This is reflected in lower viewership numbers compared to top titles such as League of Legends, CS:GO, and Dota 2.

Overwatch’s world championship at Blizzcon at the beginning of November led to the game’s first month-on-month increase in Twitch viewership since its launch. The world championship generated more than 1.5 million hours watched on Twitch, while tournaments of other games held at Blizzcon generated another 4 million hours. Through Newzoo’s Global PC Games Monitor, we saw that Blizzcon also increased Overwatch’s unique player numbers in North America and Europe by 3% month on month. At the event, Blizzard announced the Overwatch League, a closed league system with city-based teams, a whole new approach in the esports scene. With the league starting early next year, Overwatch’s viewership performance is expected to continue to improve over the course of 2017.

Other topics included in our latest quarterly update from our Global Esports Market Report include an in-depth look at the tension between teams and game publishers, the entrance of sports teams and investors into the esports industry, and the most important recent sponsorship deals.

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